Iran to lift ban on Telegram, lawmaker says

Iranian authorities are expected to lift the ban on the messaging app Telegram in the near future.

Parliamentary member Mostafa Pourdehghan told the news portal Tabnak that lawmakers had received unofficial information indicating that the Iranian government plans to remove the restriction on the platform.

“We will see good news regarding the lifting of the block very soon,” the lawmaker said.

Telegram has been one of the most popular messaging apps in Iran, with millions of users relying on it for communication, business, and news dissemination. Its widespread use, particularly in the absence of other accessible Western platforms like Facebook or Twitter, made it a central tool for social and political engagement.

In April–May 2018, the Iranian judiciary ordered a nationwide ban on Telegram, citing concerns that the platform was undermining national unity, facilitating foreign interference, and being used to organise protests and anti-regime activity. Despite the official ban, many Iranians continued to access the platform using VPNs and other circumvention tools, reflecting the app’s entrenched role in daily life and commerce.

The ban on Telegram is part of a broader pattern of internet censorship in Iran, which includes the blocking of foreign social media platforms, throttling internet speeds during protests, and promoting a national intranet to exert greater control over digital communication.

By Vugar Khalilov